Getting Down To The Wire

So much so that I’m off to avail myself of the option of doing early voting today on the off chance that Tuesday I’ll be too busy dealing with baby things.

(And as the brevity of this entry may attest, I’m pretty busy right now as it is.)

Just So They Can Demonstrate Their Convictions In Action, Of Course

There’s a school of philosophy that basically states (almost invariably in pious, self-righteous tones by its adherents) that it is profoundly impossible for one person to truly upset another person, because no one can directly make another person angry.  In other words, if you do find yourself getting upset, it is because of the fantasy/drama that you are telling yourself that doesn’t really match the facts.  This person is not “insulting” you, unless you choose to be insulted, they are merely talking.  Your intended didn’t really “break your heart and crush your dreams,” they merely talked with you for a bit and handed you back a ring.

I’m sure you get the idea.

As much as I hate to admit it though, adherents of this philosophy (particularly those that expound upon it when someone else is in distress), do have a point.

Mind you, mostly that point is to provide stress release for others by being the target of a viciously swift kick in the most sensitive area possible.

Well . . . Maybe A LITTLE Bit Intended

So I’m sitting in a birth center today after just having been introduced to a week-old baby girl who had born there last week.  Suddenly someone utters the words “I think she’s hungry,” and her mother (someone else I had just been introduced to) was out of her top and demonstrating she didn’t believe in bottle feeding before I could blink.

Now this neither shocked nor bothered me (I tend to save my shock and bother for things like misplaced nuclear codes), but the speed of it did startle me into a double take.

No pun intended.

And The Euphemism For Costumes This Halloween Season Is . . .

“Sassy.”

You’re not fooling anyone, folks.  If you want to wear a sexy/slutty costume for Halloween (the difference to me is largely a matter of degree and personal taste), that’s your business, and the extent of my concern honestly doesn’t go any farther than “Do you look good in it?”.  But unless calling it “sassy” magically changes the cut and/or adds more fabric . . .

Ya ain’t bein’ “sassy,” so just mind your bloomers, and watch out for mashers.

 

And The Worm Version Would Be Even More Different

It occurs to me that if a bird had written the song, it would have gone:

Everybody likes me, nobody hates me,

I’m gonna eat some worms . . .

(One’s mind goes to strange places while it waits for the body to catch up on assembling a crib.  Well, my mind does, at least.  Also, it’s been a long time since I written something that Algiz the Sun Conure might be able to relate to.)

Random Last Minute Advice For L. (Part Five)

Everything I’ve said up until now, son, has been fairly general advice, but this one is pretty specific.

I don’t know if what burns in my soul will burn in yours also.  I don’t even know if I should hope that it will or hope that it won’t, but I know that if it does you’ll know soon enough what I’m talking about without my having to elaborate.

If it does, son, you’ve only got two options:  Use it . . . or be used by it.  If there’s a third option, I, for one, have never found it.

My plan is, of course, to be there with you as you learn this for yourself, but in case that plan goes awry, this little tidbit should see you through the worst of it.

 

Random Last Minute Advice For L. (Part Four)

With the possible exception of public speaking, it really is “easier said than done.”  For that matter, knowing something and accepting something are two entirely different sorts of beasts.

Okay . . . I admit it; that’s less “advice” and more of a warning.  As with most things though, for what it’s worth, it does get easier (a little bit, at least) with practice.

(I should know.  I do it often enough.)

Random Last Minute Advice For L. (Part Three)

Mistakes are nothing to be afraid of.  In fact, if you ever find yourself trying to do something and it feels like you can’t do any of it right, try approaching the problem a different way.  Do your best to do everything wrong, and make as many mistakes as possible in the process; you may find that without even trying you ended up doing something right.  Even if you didn’t, the sheer effort of trying to do everything “wrong” can often show you just how much you do know, and will provide clues about the way something needs to be done, even if only by showing you what doesn’t work.

It’s not always fun to do this.

But it can be if you let it.

Random Last Minute Advice For L. (Part Two)

The standard pattern between father and son predicts that there are going to be times when you think I know everything, and times when you think I know nothing.  I don’t know if this will work, but I’d like to nip that in the bud right now:

I do not know everything, but I do try my best to avoid being wrong whenever possible.  It still happens, of course, and that’s okay.

Don’t be afraid of being wrong, son; learn from it.

Random Last Minute Advice For L. (Part One)

While cases have been made that some things do in fact last forever, it remains a truism that most things don’t . . . particularly most relationships.

The sooner you can learn to accept this, the easier it will be on you.

(And once you’ve done that, I’m hoping you can help me learn to accept this better as well.)